Learn From Your Mistakes
Saturday 5th May 2012
St Paul’s Anglican Menai, Saturday Night Celebration (SNC), 6PM
Preacher: Steve Wakeford, Pastor & Chairman of KYCK
Scripture: Deuteronomy 1:26-2:7
What I learnt:
Do we learn from our past mistakes? In Deuteronomy 1, Moses begins his speech by wondering if Israel will learn from their past mistakes, imploring them to remember. God’s people have seen His great deliverance and provision, from the liberation from slavery in Egypt, to the provision of manna and quail in the wilderness. Yet God’s people have forgotten. They begin to second-guess God. By sending spies ahead to the Promised Land, discovering huge Amorites, and having their hearts ‘melt in fear’ (v28), they are paying more attention to the size of their enemies than the size of their God. They underestimate God, and so do we. When life get’s tough, we come to the same narcissistic conclusion: “The LORD [must] hate us” (v27).
Relationships are about trust, and trust takes time to develop. Yet the Israelites have SEEN God’s provision and trustworthiness over MANY years. We must remember God in our own lives, for He has shown His faithfulness time and time again. One such example was seeing with our own eyes God save 300 young people at KYCK over the last month. We must also remember God working in history. For example, William Wilberforce relentlessly petitioned for the abolition of slavery, year after year, for he knew the gospel declares all to be equal. The gospel sets captives free. God showed His mercy and moved, making slavery illegal. Remember these things, for God is faithful to His word.
“In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God” (v32). Not remembering rightly is deadly. God made a covenant promise with His people to give them this land, yet they STILL doubt Him in spite of this. Only Joshua and Caleb will see the Promised Land – they were the only two who took God at His word. All the other men did not stand up and be courageous for their wives and children. If a man is married, God has given them the responsibility to spiritually lead their families, through opening the word and prayer. Sons need a godly dad, as they will grow up to be like their dad. Daughters need a godly dad, as they will grow up to marry someone like their dad. Leadership is for the MAN. The men of Israel failed, and their families wandered in the desert for forty years as a result.
“You saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place” (v31). This is a beautiful picture of an orphan nation being adopted by a loving heavenly Father. If you’re a Christian, you have been adopted into God’s family too, but we have something those in the Old Testament didn’t have – the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8 tells us that because of the Spirit, we can call the God of the universe, “Dad.” God carries us, and in any and every circumstance, He is always teaching us. We must always ask ourselves, “What am I learning?” Grace teaches us to be humble enough to admit that we are sinners and need Jesus. We will always end up at the foot of the gross where grace overflows.